Minister confident of fourth win

The Labour Party will shake off its mid-term blues, Education Secretary Alan Johnson has predicted, saying that the party has the chance to win an historic fourth term in government.

But he warned that whoever takes over the leadership after Prime Minister Tony Blair steps down must not undo the past decade's work.

Mr Johnson said this year would see a new leader in office, elections in Scotland and Wales and the 10th anniversary of Labour coming to power in 1997.

And he said: "We've also got the traditional mid-term blues that hit any government. So there's an awful lot that could go badly wrong."

But he told the party's national youth conference in Glasgow that despite that he was optimistic the party would emerge stronger, saying: "I think the party is now more comfortable in power than I have ever seen it in 36 years of membership."

Mr Johnson spoke of the importance of the trade union movement to the Labour Party. The former general secretary of the Communication Workers Union said: "The trade union movement is integral to the future of this party.

"Its influence should be proportionate, but it should be considerable because we gain so much from trade union involvement.

"On the issues of skills, education, energy and climate change and pensions, all the big issues that we face, the trade union movement gives us a benefit no other party can have, with that link into workers at the coalface."

He added that party's international outlook was another strength at a time when issues such as climate change and energy required global solutions.

"We're an internationalist party at a time in which we've never been more in need of international solutions," he said.